Both these discs show Brahms in an unusual light. Schoenberg’s orchestration of the G minor Quartet is comparatively familiar; to my ears it’s remarkable how Schoenberg‚ with his bass clarinet‚ extra percussion and other non­Brahmsian features succeeds‚ especially in the first movement‚ in reproducing the essentials of the composer’s own orchestral sound world. Lü Jia’s is a neat‚ spirited‚ well­balanced account‚ best in the gypsy finale and the colourful march episode in the Andante‚ but elsewhere oddly inexpressive. To take one instance‚ the start of the Intermezzo gives a deadpan impression‚ the natural‚ Romantic inflections of the phrases ironed out. Leinsdorf’s orchestration of the songs emphasises their dark colours. The lines are often doubled in a way that presents a problem for baritone Olle Persson; in order to match the orchestra‚ he’s forced to adopt a strongly projected‚ declamatory style that can impair the songs’ introspective‚ intimate tone. But there are some beautiful moments‚ notably the close of the third song‚ with its soft‚ comforting sound of strings and horns. In the Chorale Preludes‚ I really enjoyed the wind­only sections of No 7‚ but in general these arrangements‚ too‚ are rather heavy and congested. La Gaia Scienza give us original‚ unarranged Brahms‚ but there’s some very unusual packaging (with a gun motif‚ stemming from Brahms likening his state of mind when beginning his Op 60 Quartet to that of Goethe’s tragic hero Werther). On period instruments their performances present a strikingly individual image of both works. Federica Valli plays an Erard piano of 1842. What it lacks in sustained resonance is compensated for by clarity of sound and articulation. In a movement like the stormy scherzo of the Op 34 Quintet‚ every note tells; instead of the grandiose‚ barnstorming effect the music generally has‚ there’s a much more precise but equally dramatic musical picture. The modest resonance of the piano’s bass register allows the sound of the strings to emerge more clearly‚ together with all their subtle changes in tone colour. The string playing is very clean and precise – following 19th­century practice there’s not much vibrato‚ but we don’t hear the other most noticeable feature of the strings of Brahms’s era‚ the prominent expressive slides. Lyrical expression‚ indeed‚ is perhaps not La Gaia Scienza’s strongest suit – the cello melody at the start of Op 60’s Andante is rather cool‚ and its repeat by the piano later on (track 3‚ 5'22") could have been phrased in a more melting‚ sensuous way. But these are still fascinating‚ compelling performances‚ with textures emerging as though newly restored.